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Though seven months old this essay - and most others on Nixon's America - deviate from the realism of RN's foreign policy, a phenomenon handily forgotten amid the ruckus of '73-74..
RN's opening to China late 1971 and Kissinger's negotiations with Le Dic Tho re Peace in Vietnam are still the mark of foreign policy - not surpassed even by Reagan.. The liberal media made governing in the Sixties impossible - partly due to their fury at losing JFKennedy and so sticking it out with 'cowboy' Lyndon.. All manner of sabotage done to Nixon in his choice of servants only made him dig his heels in deeper!! If a reasonable opposition had shown that they would co-operate with the President many of his shenanigans might have been avoided! The lessons learned re domestic policy since Roosevelt were, sadly, that Unclenching Your Fist only comes right back at you...and Nixon simply had neither the time nor the patience to wait for Democratic 'co-operation' - especially considering that JFK botched whatever ideals he had about Berlin, Cuba OR Vietnam----

Though seven months old this essay - and most others on Nixon's America - deviate from the realism of RN's foreign policy, a phenomenon handily forgotten amid the ruckus of '73-74..
RN's opening to China late 1971 and Kissinger's negotiations with Le Dic Tho re Peace in Vietnam are still the mark of foreign policy - not surpassed even by Reagan.. The liberal media made governing in the Sixties impossible - partly due to their fury at losing JFKennedy and so sticking it out with 'cowboy' Lyndon.. All manner of sabotage done to Nixon in his choice of servants only made him dig his heels in deeper!! If a reasonable opposition had shown that they would co-operate with the President many of his shenanigans might have been avoided! The lessons learned re domestic policy since Roosevelt were, sadly, that Unclenching Your Fist only comes right back at you...and Nixon simply had neither the time nor the patience to wait for Democratic 'co-operation' - especially considering that JFK botched whatever ideals he had about Berlin, Cuba OR Vietnam----

Three times in my personal recollection the IRS was engulfed in scandals.

Around 1970 the Nixon White House created an "enemies list" of political opponents who, among other things, were to be targeted for IRS audits. At some point this was leaked, creating a media firestorm even more furious than today's. A great many political axes emerged to be ground. On Dec. 20, 1973, Congress's most competent and prestigious tax committee, the Joint Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation, cleared the IRS of the allegations.

In the mid-1990's, Republican Senator William Roth, the powerful head of the Senate Finance Committee, held hearings that accused the IRS of "Gestapo like" conduct and myriad taxpayer abuses. Again, the media front-paged the charges and the politicians thundered. People I knew were fired from the IRS (later to win handsome sums from the government in lawsuits for mistreatment). The subsequent investigation driven by Roth's Finance Committee itself could find no evidence of systematic abuses.

Today, the very same pattern is being followed, again, I'm sorry to say, mostly driven by conservatives. Except for the earlier examples above, I've never seen such rot. How many times will the public allow itself to be fooled? Is the Benghazi Scandal, for example, simply more of the same? Political news is so filled with irresponsible unsupported conclusions and vicious self-serving lies that it almost-but not quite-makes me want to swear off following politics. Meh!

To the commenter who wonders if this isn't just another GOP trick? Read the newspapaers once in a while. They've admitted they targeted consrvative groups and anyone with a different view than the administration.
The only thing left to do is figure out how high this goes.
One thing's for sure. The low level employees who've been thrown to the wolves did not make these decisions on their own.
That isn't how DC works.
Benghazi, IRS, The AP. Obama must believe he's some third world dicatator. Didn't he say he would go after those trying to thwart his agenda?

This echoes my thinking entirely. It all smacks of Watergate, but since the liberal main-stream media habitually protects Obama, it will likely go nowhere. In addition, Nixon had little charisma going for him, and Obama has way too much. As the saying goes, he could "sell ice to the Eskimos", and I don't mean he's merely a good salesman(though he clearly is), but rather, that he's a dirty politician in the finest tradition of the Chicago thugs with which he associated.

If anyone had researched Obamas history they would have realized that the tactics this man has used are anything but nice. He opened up the sealed records of an opponent when he ran in Illinois, republican donors had IRS sicked on them. even Billy Graham had an IRS audit because they represent Christian values. Now we find out the AP e-mails and phone calls were pryed into, along with conservative groups. You liberals have to understand if he does this to these groups he will do it to you.

The interconnection between the "mainstream" media and the Democratic Party is illustrated by the fact that several top news corporation executives have close relatives (two brothers and a son, IIRC) holding top-level White House positions. I read that little tidbit - names were given, but I can't remember them - last week. One is working on national-security issues, which possibly explains why his brother's network has no interest in exploring the Benghazi fiasco.

SO TIRED of Liberal mouthpieces STILL trying to bring B2 in to this! Obamas arrogance got him into this and his inexperience will surley not help him find his way out and is only making it worse. Unless he can find a way to "organize" a way out; but think he's likley burnt any bridge close enough to cross.
So much for any Legacy!!

Harry - At the time of the Nixon Administration, there was not the general understand that we have today about the bias in the 'maninstream' media. Thanks to the work of many people, such as Brent Bozell, and others, media bias is well documented, and irrefutable. This bias was just as all encompassing in Nixon's day - even more so since the Democratic media was the only game in town. Oddly enough, it was not understood in those terms - although Nixon complained about the media it doesn't appear that either he or anyone else truly comprehended just how deep was the support for Democrats. Certainly, the fact that there were what could be considered conservative Democrats in the Sout put a different light on it.

Today, what Obama and the rest of the Democratic machine are able to do and get away with can only be understood in the context of a media that is not just in the tank for the Democrats, but who is connected to the Democratic Party in ways that are only now being fully understood. In fact, the 'traditional', 'major' or mainstream media is part and parcel of the Democratic Party - that there no place where the media ends and the Democratic Party begins.

This much can be understood, however - major media still controls and sets the agenda for the country - IT decides the issues that are covered, the ways that the coverage is handled and the amount of coverage these issues recieve. It is as if there is a reality that this media defines - and it isn't simply news either. Look at how Democratic media has been able to shape issues such as gay marriage, abortion, the creation, more or less from whole cloth, of the counter culture, the environmental movement. There is plenty to examine here, but no one on the outside has yet been able to define the power of the media in context, as a force that over the last few decades has been at work tranforming American culture in ways that are little commented upon, and not fully understood.

And all of the foregoing is highly relevant to what is happening now - the major difference between Obama and Nixon - the enormous difference is ouf course the fact that no matter how bad Obama gets the media will stand firmly behind him, simply because he and they are part of one loose (maybe not) organization. Imagine for a second how different the national conversation would be if Romney had won the election - everything would be changed.

The only way that conservatives, Republicans etc. can deal with this issue is to somehow disintangle themselves from the Democratic media machine, and view events in the light of alternative conservative media. That's why it is so harmful when conservative media spends time on the latest outrageous statements from Democratic media commentators, or even talks up Hollywood - all this does is give credibility and publicity to people who have no credibility and are best ignored. Because conservative media has to learn to rely on itself alone, and not only in conjunction with and in comparison to Democratic media. These people need to be shunted aside.

In fact, the Democratic media made the mistake of giving Obama so much rope that he and the Democrats have been busy hanging themselves.

"in the end, it was principled Republicans, led by Barry Goldwater (who told Nixon he could count on no more than 15 Republican votes in the Senate), who forced the president’s resignation".

Well, well, WELL, that depends on your definition of "principled". In the above context, the author means that the rule of law should be a higher principle than political ends. But to a Democrat, a Democrat political end IS the highest principle.

When first elected I predicted that Obama would have the competence of Jimmy Carter and the paranoia of Richard Nixon. We now have seen Obama's enemies list and his numerous failures to enforce the law he swore to uphold echoing Nixon's view that the president is above the law.

Amusing rant, but time to hurry back to the 21st century. Fact: Obama won re-election, he can’t be elected to a third term – bottom line, he remains untouchable. Our president carries a do whatever I want and get away with it card. Fact: Many younger voters feel no visceral reaction when hearing Richard Nixon’s name; Millard Filmore is right up there with Nixon in the minds of younger voters since both are viewed as boring historical characters.

Fact: Control of our government results in control over enormous sums of money – something to be taken with the utmost seriousness. Lies, spinning the facts, enemy lists – inconsequential in the minds of elected employees intent on building their personal wealth through their control of various government budgets. A respected place within America’s government is a one way ticket to career and financial success – right versus wrong is a pesky abstraction which doesn’t warrant a moral dilemma within the minds of our politicians. Being caught outright in a lie is certainly inconvenient but also temporary and rarely a permanent badge of shame.

Soon this news cycle will wind down and then on to the next perceived scandal, but like it or not, Obama - and by extension his administration - is untouchable here in the real world and there isn’t a single thing we can do about it.

We had his tax dodging minions even before he was sworn in the first time. That's a scandal.

Its been one thing after another with the Obama regime. Fast and Furious is another pretty big scandal. All his connected green cronies getting fed cash are another. Obama admin is one of the most corrupt of recent memory. Just because the media ignored them all til now, doesn't mean they didn't happen.

He is part of the Chicago machine so there is no surprise if you watch politics. Even if you are a Democrat you shouldn't be surprised. This is a very corrupt president.

chris mahoney says "The difference between Obama and Nixon is a taping system."

Nope.

The difference between Obama and Mr Nixon is that Mr Nixon, who won the 1960 election and knew it -- and that he could prove it -- instead, "for," he said, "the good of the country" and before he went to bed that night, called his friend, the drug-addicted gangster, Kennedy and congratulated him on his "win."

The difference between Obama and Mr Nixon is that Mr Nixon was an American. And was a man of honor.

Keep in mind that the media disliked, hated by many, and distrusted by all "Nixon"...just the opposite for Obama, the media adores him ! The path to Watergate was paved with people who willing, hopefully wanted Nixon gone--especially the media. A road to Obamagate will be paved with a media intent on saving him. The distance between love for Obama and hate for Nixon is immense in this situation...the media will doubtlessly have to be pushed much, much more to get results that hurt Obama !

As always, Harry Stein nails it. In choosing nation over Obama this media will choose Obama. When will this group of liberal Democrats stand up and do the right thing? It's sad but they probably wouldn't see the "right thing" if it hit them in the face with a smoking gun.

Gee, I.R.S. routinely investigates "non-profit" 501c organizations that include political terms in their names. The list of political terms includes "Tea Party" and "Green Party."

So suddenly Obama the Kenyan is Tricky Dick Nixon. The I.R.S. guys are the New Plumbers !

And why are we to believe that this is anything but another RWNJ hoax ??? Whining about the I.R.S. has been hot stuff for mobsters, criminal gangs running enterprises, and the paranoid set of the world's billionaires. This is more of the same.

When the curtains on the current regime are lifted for the final act, the scandals that we know will today will be followed by a cascade of "unknown" acts against America and our best interests.
Obama or whatever his name is and his minions are a cabel of evil men and women.

As for principled Democrats, Socialists, or whatever they are, there are a few.
These Democrat party displayed its allegiance to "No God, Yes Abortion."

America will survive but only time and patriot diligence will restore our fortunes. The restoration project begins the day Obama and Biden vacate Washington.
In prison or permanently and never to be heard from again.

I am a liberal who voted for Barack Obama twice, the last time holding my nose. I did not dream the total debacle would be ominously on the horizon so soon; however, I am irritated to the core by the hypocrisy and cynicism of this current regime. Note I do not write "Administration>" It's high time to begin impeachment proceedings. Despite being a liberal Democrat, I find myself happy the House is in the control of the Republicans. Perhaps they will act quickly and appropriately.

Actually, if Patrick Leahy is the same person he was in the 1990's then I can believe that he could "pull a Barry Goldwater" on the Obama administration, but like Goldwater he will be late to the party.

Barbara Boxer and the rest won't show up until even later, at 11:59:59

Obama and his minions actually believe they are the smartest humans on the planet, hence whatever they do is acceptable.
These people remind me of the crazy little painter in Germany. that little twerp believe he was the smartest man on the planet and let a people to the worst outcome possible.
This idiot America has elected will destroy America as a form of proof how smart he is.
These are insidious times with people who can not be trusted.
It is obvious democrats are enemies of America.